1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to devices for monitoring a patient's health during inter dialytic periods. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to in-vivo monitoring devices for identifying selected physical parameters of interest relevant to patient health and dialysis needs during inter dialytic periods.
2. Background of Related Art
Dialysis or hemodialysis is a procedure used to provide an artificial replacement for lost or reduced kidney function in people with renal failure. Hemodialysis may be used for those with acute disturbance in kidney function as well as those with chronic kidney disease. Those with chronic kidney disease or chronic renal failure require hemodialysis at regular intervals until a renal transplant can be performed.
For a patient suffering from lost or reduced kidney function, a hemodialysis procedure is required about three times per week and each procedure takes about 3-5 hours to perform. During a hemodialysis procedure, a patient's blood is withdrawn from the patient through a catheter and is pumped through a dialyzer to expose the blood to a partially permeable membrane formed of synthetic hollow fibers. The blood flows through the fibers as a dialysis solution flows around the outside of the fibers such that water and waste are removed from the blood. The cleansed blood is then returned to the patient through the catheter.
Catheters suitable for performing hemodialysis include single, dual lumen and triple lumen catheters. Prior to use, the catheter is placed within the body of a patient in a known manner and remains in place for extended periods of time. In use, the catheter is connected to a dialyzer and blood is withdrawn through an arterial lumen of the catheter and returned to the patient through a venous lumen of the catheter.
As is obvious, hemodialysis procedures are time consuming and taxing to a patient. Currently, the frequency of hemodialysis procedures is determined based upon past experience and is not necessarily related to the actual condition of a patient's blood. It would be desirable to have a real time monitoring device which is usable during the inter dialytic period to identify exactly when hemodialysis treatment is necessary to minimize the frequency of dialysis treatments or, in the alternative, ensure that dialysis treatment is provided when needed. It would also be desirable to have a real time monitoring device for monitoring other parameters of interest related and unrelated to dialysis, such as blood pressure, glucose levels, thrombus formation, and infection, relevant to patient heath.